Despite differences within the party over the choice of candidates for the December 5 bypolls, the Congress leaders on Monday resolved to face the elections unitedly.
With the nomination process for the bypolls to 15 constituencies commencing on Monday, Congress leaders held another round of discussion to finalise the names of candidates for the remaining seven seats. The first list of eight candidates was announced last week.
Indicating that all is not well within the party, senior Congress leaders B.K. Hariprasad, Rahman Khan, and K.H. Muniyappa left the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) office even before the meeting concluded. Sources said they were not happy with Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah’s attitude, especially because he was strongly favouring the candidature of his followers.
However, KPCC president Dinesh Gundu Rao denied there were any differences over the choice of candidates. “We are working unitedly. It was a collective discussion. There was no walkout. They left after the meeting concluded,” he said.
Pointing out that he was cent percent sure that the judgment in the disqualification case of 17 MLAs would go in the Congress’s favour, he said many BJP workers, including MLAs, were upset with the government. He said the second list of candidates would be announced on November 13 after the Supreme Court verdict on the disqualified MLAs.
Coming down on the BJP, he said: “The Chief Minister has not been able to focus on governance or party issues. He is more interested in bypolls and in saving his chair. He has no support from his own party legislators.”
“He is announcing programmes in the constituencies that are going to polls only keeping elections in mind. I’m sure once the bypolls are over, all these programmes will never be implemented. They are misusing official machinery for the party,” Mr. Rao alleged.
KPCC working president Eshwar Khandre said: “We are ready to fight the bypolls unitedly. We have made all arrangements. We have shortlisted the names of the probable candidates and those who defected from the Congress will be taught a lesson this time.”
